Content Area(s): Life Science Topic: Animal Intelligence Short description: Some studies suggest that dogs may be able to determine the mood of a person by interpreting facial expressions.
Claim: Dogs may be able to determine the mood of a person by looking at the face.
Keywords: facial expressions Difficulty of Concept: Easy
MS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
MS-LS4-2. Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.
MS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy
RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Vocabulary Words: domesticated, DNA
Topic of Game Introduction Video: Making a Claim Description/Application of Game Introduction Video:
This brief movie is used to introduce the concept of making a claim before playing the scenario about the ability of dogs to read emotion in human faces in the Reason Racer game. A claim is generally thought to be a statement that something is true. It is a component of scientific argumentation that describes the relationship between two or more variables with a broad conclusion based on evidence. Having students analyze familiar advertising claims may be a good way to introduce the idea of making a claim. Link to Game Introduction Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6T8ENFFSG0
Full Text of Article:
DNA studies have shown that all modern dogs are descendants of the gray wolf. Domestication is thought to have occurred about 15,000 years ago. The dog may have been the first animal ever domesticated. It has been used to hunt, herd, and protect and also to provide companionship with man. Through selective breeding, hundreds of breeds have been developed with a remarkable range of size and characteristics. Domestic dogs inherited complex behaviors from the complex body language of their wolf ancestors. These sophisticated forms of social cognition and communication may account for their trainability, playfulness, and ability to fit into human households. These attributes have given dogs a relationship with humans that has enabled them to co-exist with us. In 2001, there were an estimated 400 million dogs in the world. Some dogs have been shown to possess incredible intelligence. A border collie named Chaser learned the name of over one thousand toys after just 3 years of training.
It is known that the right side of the human face displays emotion more prominently than the left side. Humans instinctively gaze in that direction when encountering a face. This called the "left gaze" bias, because we look to our left when we look at a person's face (towards their right side). Remarkably, dogs and rhesus monkeys are the only other animals known to also have a left gaze bias. Based on this, scientists believe that dogs can determine the mood of a person by interpreting facial expressions. Dogs have been taught to select smiling faces from photos. Interestingly, dogs do not show this same bias when observing other animal faces.
Auch, Mary Jane. I Was a Third Grade Science Project. Illus. by Herm Auch. 1998. 80p. Holiday, $15.95 (0-8234-1357-8); Yearling, paper, $5.50 (0-440-41606-X). Gr. 2–4. Josh, Brian, and Dougie team up for the science fair and try to hypnotize Brian’s dog, Arful, into thinking he is a cat, but it is Josh who succumbs to the suggestion, with hysterical results. Black-and-white cartoon illustrations accompany the text.
Title: Dogs Can Read Human Faces
Content Area(s): Life ScienceTopic: Animal Intelligence
Short description: Some studies suggest that dogs may be able to determine the mood of a person by interpreting facial expressions.
Claim: Dogs may be able to determine the mood of a person by looking at the face.
Keywords: facial expressions
Difficulty of Concept: Easy
Reading Level (Pit Stop 8 Article):
Flesch Reading Ease: 53.1Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 9.5
Lexile: 1080
Next Generation Science Standards:
MS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and DiversityMS-LS4-2. Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.
MS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/LiteracyRST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Vocabulary Words: domesticated, DNA
Topic of Game Introduction Video: Making a Claim
Description/Application of Game Introduction Video:
This brief movie is used to introduce the concept of making a claim before playing the scenario about the ability of dogs to read emotion in human faces in the Reason Racer game. A claim is generally thought to be a statement that something is true. It is a component of scientific argumentation that describes the relationship between two or more variables with a broad conclusion based on evidence. Having students analyze familiar advertising claims may be a good way to introduce the idea of making a claim.
Link to Game Introduction Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6T8ENFFSG0
Full Text of Article:
DNA studies have shown that all modern dogs are descendants of the gray wolf. Domestication is thought to have occurred about 15,000 years ago. The dog may have been the first animal ever domesticated. It has been used to hunt, herd, and protect and also to provide companionship with man. Through selective breeding, hundreds of breeds have been developed with a remarkable range of size and characteristics. Domestic dogs inherited complex behaviors from the complex body language of their wolf ancestors. These sophisticated forms of social cognition and communication may account for their trainability, playfulness, and ability to fit into human households. These attributes have given dogs a relationship with humans that has enabled them to co-exist with us. In 2001, there were an estimated 400 million dogs in the world. Some dogs have been shown to possess incredible intelligence. A border collie named Chaser learned the name of over one thousand toys after just 3 years of training.It is known that the right side of the human face displays emotion more prominently than the left side. Humans instinctively gaze in that direction when encountering a face. This called the "left gaze" bias, because we look to our left when we look at a person's face (towards their right side). Remarkably, dogs and rhesus monkeys are the only other animals known to also have a left gaze bias. Based on this, scientists believe that dogs can determine the mood of a person by interpreting facial expressions. Dogs have been taught to select smiling faces from photos. Interestingly, dogs do not show this same bias when observing other animal faces.
References/Sources:
Additional Content:
Author: Cindy Wilbur